AEW All In Takes Shape – The business is in one of the hottest periods EVER
We are a week away from what will literally be the biggest pro wrestling event of all time. AEW’s All In from Wembley Stadium is expected to have the largest crowd ever to attend a pro wrestling event in the history of the business. It is a monumental achievement in the history of the business and a bright and shiny sign that the business is in one of the hottest periods EVER. We have two top-tier companies selling out major stadiums and pulling in record amounts of money. Five years ago, AEW DIDN’T EXIST. Now they’re going to have the largest crowd in the history of wrestling. Anyone that doesn’t see this as anything other than a massive win just wants to be a hater, plain and simple. After this week’s episode of Dynamite, we have almost a full card of matches announced that look fantastic on paper.
We’ve known for a few weeks that the main event is MJF vs. Adam Cole for the world title. Now we have The Young Bucks vs. FTR for the tag titles, Sting and Darby vs. Mogul Embassy in a Coffin Match, Stadium Stampede with BCC vs. Eddie Kingston & friends, a 4-way women’s word title match, The Golden Elite vs. Takeshita and Bullet Club Gold, and Chris Jericho vs. Will Ospreay. I’m sure that Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk will be added by the end of the weekend to the show. While the build up for the show hasn’t matched the enormity of the event itself, the card itself looks absolutely spectacular and I’m confident that it will deliver one of the best shows in AEW’s history.
As for the build-up, when it’s WrestleMania, we generally FEEL like it’s WrestleMania season. There have been plenty of WrestleMania’s with lackluster builds, but I point to this year’s Mania as one of the better built Manias in recent memory. The build-up to the show made it feel as special as it should be for wrestling’s biggest stage. That feeling has been missing for ALL In and it shows. Most of this card should’ve been solidified and announced weeks ago. The race to the show should’ve started on the Dynamite after Forbidden Door and not a couple of weeks ago once MJF and Cole confirmed the main event. We shouldn’t be waiting for CM Punk and Samoa Joe to finally confirm their match the week before the PPV.
The lackluster build for the show should not take away from the fact that this show is monumental in its significance. No one other than WWE has achieved anything like this on this scale for a mainstream audience. Not even WCW at its peak. I emphasize the fact that this company did not exist five years ago. To go from literally nothing to achieving the largest crowd EVER for a wrestling show is an achievement no one can take away. I know that people will point to WWE’s fudged numbers, but that’s the thing, they’re not real. They admitted to it and it’s fine. They can count whoever they want in the building, but the number of tickets sold cannot be erased. That number cannot be altered and next Saturday the record books are going to change.
As a fan, I can’t wait to see this show simply because it’s a reflection of wrestling’s health overall. The fact that we have two companies that can put on shows of this scale at a time when there are so many choices for entertainment is incredible to see. We all should take this moment to rejoice and enjoy it. We don’t know how long this ride is going to last. Let’s enjoy it while it’s happening.